By Jennifer Dorsett
Field Editor

Walker County Farm Bureau (CFB) recently used the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Feeding Texas Co-op Contribution Program to help the Houston Food Bank provide groceries to those in need during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The local organization already sponsors a bi-monthly food donation event, but board member Colt Christian said Walker CFB was able to do more this month by using the TFB matching grant program.

“We buy the food from Houston Food Bank,” Christian said in an interview with the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. “We sponsor an 18-wheeler truck where they deliver the food, and then we help box it, bag it up and send it out.”

Earlier this month, Walker CFB worked with the Junior Service League of Huntsville to distribute food, including eggs, milk, cheese, orange juice and a variety of fresh produce. Honeydew melons, watermelons and turnips were some of the fresh fruits and vegetables available in the food boxes that week.

Local residents began lining up in their vehicles at 7 a.m. for the drive-thru food pantry, which Christian noted didn’t officially open until 10 a.m.

He added they hired security to assist in traffic management because the need was expected to be great during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We ran some ads in the paper and on our radio station locally, and we opened it to anybody that needed food,” he said. “It was first-come, first-served, but we were able to give something to everyone who showed up.”

The number of people who wanted to help was moving, Christian said. Attendees brought face masks for the volunteers, and he said some people brought more eggs to give away to others who needed them.

The event was not only a success in feeding those who needed a hand but in bridging the gap between farmers and consumers.

“We’ve had a lot of people reach out to us since then to ask how they can buy from local producers since they can’t get produce to the stores,” Christian said. “Others are very willing to buy from the local folks here and hand it out for free if we can get them in contact with those people, so that’s been a really good communication between everybody in the community.”

Walker CFB was well-represented, thanks to face masks sewn and embroidered by one of the board member’s wives, who owns a fabric shop in Huntsville.

“She custom-made our face masks and put our logo on them, and it turned out very well and people could see who we were. We’re just farmers and ranchers trying to help whoever we can,” Christian said.